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The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has approved the expansion of Cambio Life Recovery Center’s facility license to include detoxification services.

Cambio, a private inpatient and outpatient treatment facility located in the medical office building on Wise Regional Health System’s Bridgeport campus, provides services for the treatment of addiction disorders.

The addition of detoxification services means Cambio can now provide the entire continuum of addiction recovery care “under one roof.”

Executive Director Don Johnson said when Cambio opened last December, those services were originally being provided at North Texas Community Hospital. They were discontinued when the hospital transitioned to Wise Regional Health System’s ownership in May. Like most hospitals, WRHS is not set up to deal with behavioral disorders, Johnson said.

After referring detox clients to other facilities – the nearest being in Denton County – Cambio submitted a request to the state to add detox services to their license.

The request was quickly approved.

“We had the inspection last week and got word back that our license has been approved,” Johnson said. “We have detox, and we have detox patients.”

Johnson said after talking with insurance companies to get Cambio added to their panel, it became apparent that there are no other detox programs in Wise County.

“This is the first such program available within Wise County that I can remember,” said Martin Woodruff, executive director of the Wise County United Way.

Johnson explained the difference between a detox program and the inpatient addiction recovery programs currently offered at Cambio.

“Certain substances, when someone becomes dependent or abuses them over a length of time, require detox,” he said. “It’s basically getting those substances out of your body. But with some substances, if you get that out of their system – just stop – it can cause seizures which can lead to death. It’s something that really needs to be supervised medically.”

The most common substances that require detox are alcohol and opiates – most commonly prescription pain medications, Johnson said.

Detox follows specific protocols that often involve the use of other medications to help patients get off of the addictive substance and avoid seizures. The supervision of a physician is required throughout the process.

Johnson stressed that Wise Regional is still a tremendous asset and partner.

“We work very closely with Wise Regional,” he said. “They provide our dietary services and other services we use.”

And, he noted, “It’s great to have a detox program that’s on the campus of a hospital, so if our clients get in trouble medically, we do have support.”

While inpatient recovery is usually a 30-day program, most detox programs can be completed in three to five days, Johnson said. Sometimes that goes up to seven days, but often those patients do not require inpatient treatment afterward. Many go straight from detox to Cambio’s intensive outpatient service.

For more information on Cambio, call their toll-free number, 877-974-4222 or visit www.cambioliferecovery.com.

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